We are both originally from New England, and both of us love clams – chowder, fried, dips, or like this recipe, baked. Which makes this meal perfect for our Valentine’s Day – as much as we both love it, it is a bit of work, so we reserve it for a special meal. We had this with a simple salad, and we did make it gluten free.

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 5 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 cup dry white wine
• Fresh herbs of your choice
• 1-2 dozen littleneck or cherrystone clams, scrubbed (we usually try to use cherrystones if we can find them)
• tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ cup flour (I used gluten-free all-purpose flour)
• 1 cup fine fresh breadcrumbs (I used gluten free seasoned breadcrumbs. Panko would work well, too)
• ½ cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh dill leaves
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
• ½ teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 4 to 6 tablespoons clam broth (reserved from steaming clams)

Add about half a cup of flour to cold, lightly salted water, then add the clams. Soak for 30 minutes to an hour, and if the clams are still gritty, repeat. Once clean, use a brush to scrub the clams after soaking.

Heat olive oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Cook garlic and saute, stirring, just until fragrant, about 1 minute.

Add wine and herbs, and bring to a simmer. Add clams, and stir to combine. Cover and steam until clams have opened, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from heat. Use a slotted spoon to transfer clams to a rimmed baking sheet to cool, discarding any that do not open. Strain clam broth through a fine sieve, and reserve broth for making stuffing.

While the clams cool, make the stuffing. Cooking onion and garlic for about five minutes in olive oil. Once cooled, add flour, breadcrumbs, herbs, and butter. Stir in the clam juice from steaming the class a few tablespoons at a time until just moist.

When clams are cool enough to handle, remove all meat, and reserve clam shells. Arrange the halves on a rimmed baking sheet, then dice the clams and add them to the stuffing.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Dividing evenly, stuffing and clam mixture into the shells, smoothing with the back of a spoon. Bake until tops are golden, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve immediately.